


Andante

by eyesofjihoon (taesquared)



Series: 너와 나눈 모든 계절이 소중해 (all of the seasons we shared are so precious) [3]
Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College Senior!Jihoon, Daniel Turns Jihoon Into A Happy Boi, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Graduate Student!Daniel, Jihoon Is A Sad Boi, Library Worker!Jihoon, M/M, Office Worker!Daniel, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-23 18:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18555151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taesquared/pseuds/eyesofjihoon
Summary: Among the ups and downs, Daniel is there for Jihoon every step of the way.





	Andante

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted on AFF: https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1399659/

Jihoon gets the email he’s been waiting for all day—or more accurately, all week—while working his utterly mundane part-time job at the library. He feels the buzz in his pocket and when he sees what it’s for, he recklessly tosses the books he was about to sort onto the shelf. His heart races with anxiety and excitement as he pulls up the email. This is it. This could determine his future and he had waited for too long.

_Fucking finally!_

He pulls out his earbuds, and he reads.

 

_“Park Jihoon,_

_Thank you for your interest and application to the Fine Arts graduate program at Seoul National University. We regret to inform you that you have not been selected for the upcoming Fall 2019 semester. We received thousands of ap—”_

 

_…Huh?_

He re-reads the first two sentences.

 

_“Thank you for your interest—”_

 

And he stares.

_“Thank you for your interest.”_

 

He’s frozen for a moment as he processes.

_Oh._

Oh.

He huffs out a pained chuckle.

_Okay._

And he doesn’t bother to read the rest of the email.

He puts his phone on silent and shoves it into his pocket once he’s found his rock-and-roll playlist to blast through his earbuds. His eardrums jostle with Coldplay as he resumes his task of thrusting books which no sane student would ever read out of their own free will back into their designated spots on the shelf. He wonders why schools even bother writing such long unnecessary emails for the sake of rejection.

_Tch._

As if using the word “regret” would make the applicants feel any better. Right now the only thing Jihoon regrets is wasting his damn time applying.

_Formality is fucking stupid._

He’s glad he’s on the sixth floor of the library where, aside from the one or two students cramming for their next exam, it was completely empty, and Jihoon could comfortably seethe in silence for the next half hour until his shift ends.

_How did—_

_You know what,_ he thinks, setting down the last book from his cart.

_Fuck it, I’m clocking out early._

So clock out early he does, and without a single protest from his bland-as-paper superior who Jihoon is certain has never had a passion for anything in his life. It’s frankly disgusting, but Jihoon can keep up the pretense of, _“Hi hyung, how are you and what do you have for me to do today?”_ for the sake of paying a fraction of his scam of an education.

Jihoon bids him good night and heads back to his apartment in a bitter daze.

***

When he enters, he almost calls out for his boyfriend when he remembers Daniel has a longer shift at the office and won’t be home until later. He groans, scowling as he fails to untie his shoelaces with a single pull and has to bend down to undo the knot he’s inadvertently made.

_Fuck._

He flippantly kicks them off and nearly trips with a colorful expletive over Daniel’s large-as-hell sandals.

He’s about to text Daniel when he notices a bright yellow sticky note on the refrigerator.

 

_Jyunie <3_

_— I bought you chicken before I left. I don’t know when I’ll be home—have I mentioned how much I hate my asshat boss—so don’t wait up on me. (I’m sowwy_ ㅠㅠㅠㅠ _) Don’t you dare skip dinner! … Or else._ ㅋㅋ _Love you~_

_— Niel <3_

 

Amidst his frustration and rage, Jihoon smiles. He peeks inside the refrigerator and sure enough, there is a large box three-quarters full of chicken and sweet potato fries ready to be popped into the microwave and eaten.

New Year’s resolution to get a six-pack be damned, he fucking needs this tonight.

He places the box back into the refrigerator and sends a quick text to Daniel.

 

 _i saw the food_  
you’re the best  
<3  
come home soon ok?

 

He hopes Daniel gets the hidden message.

After a longer-than-usual shower full of self-deprecating rumination and Daniel is _still_ not home, Jihoon huffs. His stomach growls—he didn’t eat a lot for lunch today—and he beelines to the box of deliciousness with his name on it.

He heats up his food for an arbitrary amount of time and dives in with his bare hands. The grease smears his fingers and he’s happy he’s home because his face is probably half covered in oil and chicken sauce and he doesn’t care enough to clean it off while he’s still eating.

Maybe he should have eaten before his shower. _Whoops._

He’s almost disappointed when he finishes his last wing and all that remains are a few measly fries off to the side. He hopes Daniel won’t mind too much. But because he’s a good boyfriend, he texts Daniel again.

 

 _hypothetically_  
if i ate everything in that box …  
do you want me to make or buy you something  
or are you gonna eat at the office

 

He suddenly feels a knot of shame coil in his stomach at the thought of Daniel not having anything to eat as he toils away in his office. Knowing him, he probably didn’t bother to pack extra food for the long shift.

 _Fuck._ He kind of feels like crying. _I’m terrible._

He springs up from his chair and tosses the grease-stained box into the trash. He quickly washes his hands and peeks into the refrigerator. There’s barely anything worthy of a meal lingering on the shelves, and he winces, feeling terrible once again.

He shuts the door with more force than necessary. He grabs the hoodie he’s worn all day and checks for his wallet and keys. He then checks his phone.

_Thank God, I have time._

He’s on his way to the bus stop when he figures, after all the food he ate, a little extra walking could do him good.

***

“Daniel?”

Daniel doesn’t try to fake a smile when his co-worker Sungwoon pokes into his desk space with a sheepish grin. He’s just finished work for the day—mind you, he’s already stayed a whole hour and fifteen minutes overtime—he’s just turned off his computer, he has a shit ton of homework to finish, and the last thing he needs is Sungwoon poking into his space.

Because he _knows_ that tone of voice.

_Hoe, don’t do it._

“Boss told me to give these to you.”

_Oh my God._

Daniel stares owlishly when Sungwoon hesitantly slides three very full manila folders onto his desk. He opens the one on top and frowns.

“When does he want this by?”

Sungwoon raises his eyebrows and nibbles on his lower lip and _fuck_ , Daniel knows that look.

“By _tomorrow!?_ ”

Sungwoon holds up his hands in front of him.

“Look, he didn’t say anything, okay? He just gave it to me and told me to pass it on to you.”

“Well, can’t _you_ do it? I’m literally about to leave.”

“Hey, I’m also swamped, dude. I mean, I can help you with, like, one if you really need it.”

Daniel looks up at him, helpless.

“Er, tomorrow.”

Daniel wants to smash his face into his desk. He already feels another headache coming on as he sifts through the stack of papers underneath.

“Are these high priority?”

Sungwoon shrugs. “I don’t know, man. Like I said, he just gave it to me.”

“Is he still here?”

Sungwoon peeks out the door and down the hall.

“Nope. His door’s closed.”

“That _fucker,_ ” Daniel hisses, throwing the folder down on his desk. “You know what, fuck this. If he didn’t give a deadline and he didn’t say if it’s high priority or not, I’m not doing it. I’m not staying here for another two hours just to save his ass. Never again.”

Sungwoon smirks in agreement.

“God, I can’t wait until I graduate and leave this place.”

“Amen, buddy.”

Daniel grits his teeth as he gathers the rest of his things. He tosses the folders into a drawer and shoves it closed.

Sungwoon lingers without a backpack in sight.

“You’re gonna stick around?”

“Yeah,” Sungwoon sighs, flipping a pencil eraser-side-up to match the others in Daniel’s mug. “Finishing up some stuff for another client. She’s one of the top investors, too, so...you know.”

“Damn.” Daniel turns off his computer, sympathetic. Sungwoon was bound to be here for another hour at least.

“Hyung, if you don’t get a promotion by the end of the month, I’m making you leave.”

Sungwoon just laughs as Daniel locks the door to his office.

“I’m serious! You deserve so much better than this as a _senior_ employee.”

“It’s…” Sungwoon is about to protest, but the words die on his lips. “…Yeah.”

“Look, I’ll even write your resignation letter.”

Sungwoon laughs and gives an affectionate pat to Daniel’s shoulder.

“I’ll think about it.”

“And I _won’t_ be nice,” Daniel grumbles, and Sungwoon laughs again.

“Hey, tell your squeeze I said hi, okay?”

“You can tell him yourself,” Daniel says, already brightening at the mention of his “squeeze.”

“Uh, no, that’s _weird._ ”

Daniel gives him a look.

“It’s only weird if you make it weird. Hyung, Jihoonie adores you.”

“I still find that suspicious.” Sungwoon turns around to head back to his own office. “Anyway, get home safe.”

“Thanks, bro.”

“Text me. Make sure I’m still alive.”

“Yep.”

And with that, Daniel practically sprints down the corridor and takes the elevator down to the lobby. He waves to the receptionist and is checking through his notifications when he hears:

_“Daniel!”_

He freezes when he recognizes the red hoodie and black pants that starkly contrast with the business suits and professional wear of the other patrons in the lobby. The visitor waves him over and he already feels his smile growing wider by the second, as if he didn’t just have an overly stressful work day.

“Well, hello, handsome,” Daniel scampers over, pleasantly surprised. “Did I forget you were picking me up from work today?”

“Surprise?” Jihoon greets shyly, no doubt feeling a bit out of place in his starving-college-student gear.

Daniel spies the bag in Jihoon’s hand.

“Whatchu got there?”

Jihoon hoists it up and Daniel can already see the three styrofoam carry-out boxes sitting inside.

“I bought dinner.” He pouts, “You didn’t see my texts.”

“Ah, not yet.” Daniel takes the bag and flashes a knowing grin.

“You ate all the chicken, I’m guessing?”

Jihoon responds with an embarrassed chuckle—“You’d have known that if you checked my texts.”—and they shuffle out into the busy streets of Busan.

“How was work?”

Daniel grunts. “Same as always. Awful. Sungwoon-hyung says hi, by the way.”

“He can tell me himself.”

Daniel shrugs. “I give up trying to understand his ways.”

They head down the boulevard and Daniel wraps an arm around Jihoon’s shoulder, the flaps of his suit carelessly tucked behind him.  

“Why’d you come all this way? Missed me that much?”

“Yeah,” Jihoon says, unusually straightforward. “I did. I felt bad for eating all the chicken too. I didn’t want you to come home to an empty fridge.”

“Aww.” Daniel leans in and briefly presses his nose to Jihoon’s temple. He catches the faint citrus-y whiff of his shampoo and is tempted to kiss him right there in public.

“We should go grocery shopping this weekend,” Jihoon adds.

“Fine. Don’t forget your coupons.”

Jihoon humouredly rolls his eyes. He would never.

They walk past the bus stop, silently deciding to take the trip back to their apartment by foot. The evening is cool, and Daniel doesn’t sweat through his suit for once.

However, Jihoon is unusually quiet tonight. His lips remain stoic, his eyes open but blank. Something’s on his mind, so Daniel nudges his arm.

“Hey.”

“Hm?” Jihoon blinks, glancing up.

“Is everything okay,” Daniel asks, concerned.

“Um,” Jihoon hums, and then laughs, but the sound is slightly bitter to his ears. “I, uh…”

He swallows.

“I got the email.”

_Oh._

Daniel’s heart clenches.

“You—” He can already guess. “Is this about—”

There’s a stifling pause, and Jihoon nods.

“Yeah. I didn’t make it.”

He lets out a painful sigh and his gaze trails down to the pavement.

“Oh well.”

“Oh, Jihoon,” Daniel squeezes his shoulder, gently pulling him closer. “I’m sorry. I know how much you—”

“It’s fine,” Jihoon interrupts, shaking his head with a forced smile. “I’ll get over it, it’s okay. I’ll—I’ll be okay.”

The sight is heartbreaking to say the least. Daniel knows better than anyone how much Jihoon wanted to go to Seoul. He wouldn’t stop talking about it. He worked too hard. All the nights he had stayed up to polish his essays, sometimes even rewriting them completely. All the hours he spent incessantly tweaking his resume to highlight his best credits. All the extracurriculars Jihoon took on over the semester to make him as valuable an asset as possible.

“If it’s not meant to be, then so be it.”

Daniel reaches for the younger’s hand and is relieved when Jihoon doesn’t pull away. He doesn’t say anything, letting their steps echo against the pavement as they walk the rest of the way back.

They turn the corner and enter the quiet streets of their neighborhood. There’s barely anyone around, which is odd for a Friday evening.

“Thank you,” Jihoon finally says, and Daniel simply responds with a warm squeeze of his hand.

When they reach their apartment, the food is still warm, and Daniel quickly changes out of his suit into a tee-shirt and sweatpants before joining Jihoon at the table. Normally he’d shower first, but he figures that can wait for tonight.

Aside from the occasional small talk from Jihoon—“How was work?”, followed by Daniel’s amused response, “You already asked,” followed by an embarrassed, “Oh.”—they mostly eat in silence. After almost three years of dating, Daniel knows it’s the best way for Jihoon to organize his thoughts and heal: letting him talk on his own, when he’s ready. 

It’s only after a few servings of wine and strawberry ice cream, as they’re washing the dishes while softly singing to a song they like from the newest Bolbbalgan4 album, that Jihoon pauses and says:

“I probably dodged a bullet.”

Daniel hums.

“If it’s not meant to be, maybe it’s for the better, right? Maybe I’m meant for something better.”

“You’re being vague again,” Daniel says affectionately as he hands the younger a soap-covered plate.

Jihoon flashes him a playful glare, but Daniel continues.

“I know. You know what I say, everything happens for a reason. When one door closes, another one opens, yeah?”

“And your house is probably haunted,” Jihoon adds with an airy chuckle.

Daniel hands him the last bowl and Jihoon places it face down into the dishwasher.

After drying their hands, Daniel suddenly opens his arms.

Jihoon raises an eyebrow.

“Come here.”

Jihoon gives a tired smile and sinks into his embrace with a low whine. Daniel wraps his arms around the smaller boy and holds him there, gently rocking from side to side. Jihoon holds onto Daniel’s waist just as tightly, as if he’d collapse without the support, and presses his cheek into Daniel’s chest.

Daniel presses a kiss into Jihoon’s crown, whispering into his faintly-citrus-scented hair.

“You did well, Jihoonie. I’m so proud of you and you did so, so well. And that’s all that matters. Okay?”

Jihoon nods with a sad hum.

“I know what you’re capable of, and it’s their loss, so don’t let this rejection be your defining moment, okay? You’re meant to succeed. I can promise you that.”

Jihoon pulls back with a smile. It’s strained, but it’s a start.

“Thanks, hyung. I know.” Jihoon clasps their hands together, linking Daniel’s fingers with his.

He sighs. “It just stings a little, that’s all. I worked really hard so it’s a bit, um, anticlimactic?” He punctuates with a chuckle. “But I’ll be okay. I’m a strong boy. I didn’t cry or anything, so there’s that.”

Daniel laughs and pulls him in for another hug.

“Okay, maybe I did tear up, but that doesn’t count.”

“Aigoo. I know my baby’s a fighter. The strongest fighter I know.”

Jihoon leans up to press a kiss to Daniel’s cheek.

“Thanks for being here.”

Daniel gazes tenderly at the precious boy in his arms.

“Of course. Anything for you.”

“Anything?” Jihoon parrots with a twinkle in his eye, that infectious spark coming back to life. “Be careful, Kang-ssi. I’m a high-maintenance man, are you sure about that?”

Daniel slowly pulls Jihoon out of the kitchen and towards their living room.

“High-maintenance? Perhaps. But it’s been what, three years? And I haven’t failed yet, so…I’ll take my chances, Park-ssi.”

It’s not long before Jihoon pounces on him and pins him to the couch in a very compromising yet familiar position. Daniel groans from the weight but looks up to see Jihoon staring straight into his eyes.

And there it is. That mischievous gleam Daniel adores more than words can describe.

“That’s a big risk, Kang-ssi,” Jihoon mutters, his voice sinking deeper with every word.

Daniel matches his gaze and leans up to press a sudden kiss to Jihoon’s lips. He can still taste the sweet hints of strawberry and wine.

“The way I see it, darling,” he drawls, running a teasing thumb across Jihoon’s lower lip. “When you’re worth it, nothing’s too big a risk.”

Jihoon visibly cringes.

“I think my heart just wilted.”

Daniel smirks.

“Then shall I love you harder to bring it back to life?”

 _“Please_ shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> \- I wrote this as an ode to having received many rejection letters in the past, and I know it's around that time (at least in the U.S.) for kids to be receiving their university decisions too. I just wanna repeat Daniel's advice to Jihoon - and it's a lesson I had to learn over and over again too - "Your rejection is not a defining moment." Most of us never know why we were rejected from the schools we want to go to, and we never will. I think it's best to let it sting for however long you need to heal, and then move on. Rejection is a part of life, just as much as acceptance is. Hang in there. Don't give up. Success is not guaranteed just because of your alma mater!
> 
> \- Follow me on Twitter @ eyesofjihoon and/or talk to me here! >> ask.fm/taesquared


End file.
